2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 113 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500, 40% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 61,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (32% of reports).
- 113air bags complaints
- 61,500median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 2related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 36 of 113 complaints (32%)
- Confirm become: mentioned in 8 of 113 complaints (7%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 6 of 113 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 33 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 113 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
GMC Sierra 1500 air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 0% | — |
| 2022 Sierra 1500 | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2021 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 1% | 3,400 |
| 2020 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 1% | 34,800 |
| 2019 Sierra 1500 | 7 | 1% | 11,000 |
| 2018 Sierra 1500 | 8 | 3% | 25,000 |
| 2017 Sierra 1500 | 4 | 1% | 1,700 |
| 2016 Sierra 1500 | 12 | 3% | 35,310 |
| 2015 Sierra 1500 | 37 | 5% | 34,000 |
| 2014 Sierra 1500 | 25 | 3% | 52,000 |
| 2013 Sierra 1500 | 36 | 31% | 60,000 |
| 2012 Sierra 1500 | 42 | 39% | 73,000 |
| 2011 Sierra 1500 | 113 | 40% | 61,500 |
| 2010 Sierra 1500 | 77 | 46% | 65,000 |
| 2009 Sierra 1500 | 122 | 52% | 101,000 |
| 2008 Sierra 1500 | 243 | 64% | 85,735 |
| 2007 Sierra 1500 | 146 | 56% | 100,032 |
| 2006 Sierra 1500 | 9 | 6% | 103,485 |
| 2005 Sierra 1500 | 14 | 8% | 63,510 |
| 2004 Sierra 1500 | 8 | 4% | 56,000 |
| 2003 Sierra 1500 | 7 | 4% | 100,500 |
| 2002 Sierra 1500 | 5 | 3% | 130,000 |
| 2001 Sierra 1500 | 3 | 2% | 186,400 |
| 2000 Sierra 1500 | 6 | 3% | 119,500 |
| 1999 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 1% | 114,878 |
| 1998 Sierra 1500 | 4 | 7% | 163,495 |
| 1997 Sierra 1500 | 2 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP, and VI or "Zone A." Additionally GM is recalling certain 2011-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL and 2011-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2010-2014 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 2500, Sierra 3500, Yukon, and Yukon XL and 2010-2013 Cadillac Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 25, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed to 40 VIN owners on May 11, 2021. A second owner notification letter was mailed to all other owners on January 24, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328800.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, and 2009-2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Silverado 3500, GMC Sierra 2500 and Sierra 3500 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, GM is recalling certain 2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles are equipped with non-desiccated passenger frontal inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant. These inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate one, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on February 22, 2021. Second notification letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 1, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020; Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006; and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is N212328760.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
See attached document for complaint
Rear shock holder rusted through cross member on frame making top of shock stay forced against bottom of the bed of the truck.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V054000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2011 GMC Sierra 1500s have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 113 owner complaints about air bags for the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 (40% of the 284 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 61,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2011 GMC Sierra 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 36 of 113 complaints, followed by “confirm become” (8).
See all 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 problems or air bags problems across all Sierra 1500 years.